Naomi Devlin's Raw Superfood Ice Cream

Naomi shares her raw ice cream recipe. Discover this and others when Naomi takes part at the River Cottage Spring Food Fair

RAW SUPERFOOD ICE CREAM

When I say raw, I mean completely untouched by heat of any kind. Heat changes the nature of fats and destroys enzymes in the milk and honey that are beneficial for our microbiome. This luxurious ice cream combines the superfood benefits of raw egg yolks, raw honey and unpasteurised cream to make a rich and satisfying dessert that your gut will love.

Get your eggs and raw milk from a reputable source to avoid any worry about bacterial contamination.

1 vanilla pod

3 large organic egg yolks*

75–100g (3–4oz) raw honey

2 teaspoons brandy or vodka (or use vanilla extract, but leave out the vanilla pod)

750ml (24fl oz) double cream (ideally unpasteurised*)

Makes about 850ml (28fl oz) – serves about 6

*Raw eggs or unpasteurised diary should not be eaten by those who are pregnant, immunodeficient or by children under three.

Split the vanilla pod with a sharp knife and scrape the seeds into a bowl. (Put the pod into a jar of sugar or honey to flavour it, or whizz it up in a clean coffee grinder with some muscovado sugar to make vanilla powder.)

Whisk the vanilla seeds, egg yolks, honey and alcohol together until they are thick and mousse-like. Stir in the cream, taste for sweetness (add more honey if needed) and then churn in an ice-cream maker.

If you don’t have an ice-cream maker, you can make your own Victorian-style ice cream churn by putting a 1.5-litre (2 1/2 pint) Kilner jar into a large bowl filled with ice cubes. Pour a bag of table salt over the ice cubes and pour your ice cream mixture into the jar. Stir leisurely with a spatula, scraping the sides as you go, until the ice cream is thick and then transfer to a container and freezer until firm. The exothermic reaction of salt on ice makes the ice super cold – enough to chill your ice cream while you stir it. This produces ice cream almost as smooth as the kind made in an ice-cream maker – with a bit of science thrown in! You can only churn a half batch mixture in this way, so have two ice-filled bowls ready, or just make half the mixture.

Once the ice cream is ready, serve it immediately (or freeze for up to a month and soften in the fridge for 30 minutes prior to serving – the freshly made ice cream will have the smoothest texture). Serve scoops of ice cream in small bowls with some fresh berries, or drizzle with Magic Chocolate Coating (see Coconut Fudge Popsicles on page 104) and sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds.

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